Introduction & Motivation

Fig 1: V-diagram for development processes

The project with the full title “Framework and frontend for semi-automated matching of real and virtual prototypes” is an FFG funded “COIN-Aufbau” project.
The ideal model-based development process is characterized among other things by a permanent comparison between virtual and real prototypes. The industrial practice shows, however, that due to variations in parameters, simulation and test results often differ significantly from each other. Due to high costs, repeated comparisons between model and reality are often neglected.The objective is the development of professional expertise, infrastructure and resources for largely automated comparison of mechatronic systems as a precondition for model-based control design methods and any kind of realistic simulation of complex structures (e.g. lifetime optimization, lightweigth).

Fig 2: Protoframe overview

To carry out the semi-automated matching of parameters based on real prototypes two groups of methods have to be developed and implemented in a modular software platform. On the one hand the automatic parameter identification based on test responses and on the other hand the generation of optimum measurement points and excitation signals.
In order to cover a wide range of industrial relevant mechatronic applications, the domains of solid mechanics (multi-body systems), thermo-mechanics and power electronics are also taken into account (see Figure 2).
The other physical domains are covered by a free software tool (e.g. Scilab / XCos), which is extended by the necessary interfaces. To support the design process and to visualize the results, a graphical front-end is implemented, which provides interfaces to standard CAD systems and finite element tools.